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What the gospel is not.

Adding to the gospel (belief or faith) is a false gospel. It is corrupting the gospel to add
any requirement beyond faith (Galatians 1:6-9). For example, some false teachers will
say, “Trust in Christ and do good works.” If you must do anything personally to achieve
salvation, then that salvation is a result of your works.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and that not
from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

This verse clearly states that you are saved through faith and not by any personal works.

Some who hold a strong election view over mans’ free will often use this verse to “prove” that even
man’s faith is from God. They say that a man cannot exercise faith on his own; it must come totally from
God as a gift. They say man is so spiritually dead that he cannot, by an act of his will, exercise faith in
Christ. It is very clear from the Greek that this verse is not referring to faith as a gift from God. The
word that in this verse is the Greek word touto and it neuter in form and cannot refer to faith (pistis)
which is feminine. The antecedent of “it is a gift of God” is the salvation by grace through faith (first
phrase in the verse). It is God’s gift of salvation that is a gift from God, not our faith.

Another way to add to the gospel is to add baptism to belief. Scripture teaches that water baptism is an
outward sign to demonstrate faith in the Gospel and occurs AFTER we trust Christ by faith.

Acts 2:41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to
their number that day.

Here are some common phrases used today that quite often confuses those who hear the Gospel:

“Trust in Christ and make Jesus Lord of your life.” This confuses discipleship (following, obeying, and
serving Christ) with salvation (trusting in Christ alone). This view is called “Lordship salvation” which
holds that to be saved a person must also promise to fully follow Christ.

“Ask Jesus into your heart” This is often used with children but it can only confuse them. What does
it mean to “Ask Jesus into your heart”? The real issues are: I am a sinner, Christ died for my sin and I
must trust in Christ alone. That’s what a child must understand and the decision he/she must make.

The proof text that the “asking Jesus into your heart” folks use is Revelation 3:20.

20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the

door, I will come into him and eat with him, and he with me.

This verse does not mention the heart. Let’s put this verse in context. In verse
14 we find that this whole section of Scripture is addressed to the church in
Laodicea. This is a group of believers whose lives were neither hot nor cold, but
lukewarm. Because of their lack of love for Christ, and their love for the world,
Christ was asking them to repent. And then he said, “I stand and knock…” He
was saying to them that if they would repent, He would restore fellowship once

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